Geminid meteor shower set to illuminate Carlow skies

Night-time sky-watchers can look forward to a celestial display of shooting stars on Wednesday night, as the Earth passes through a cloud of cometary dust.

The Geminid meteor shower, which returns every December, is expected to peak some time during the night of December 14 and will be visible until the early morning of December 15.

The Geminids originate from a rocky asteroid called 3200 Phaethon with a comet-like orbit and were first observed in 1862.

The meteors, small pieces of interplanetary debris, appear to radiate from near the bright star Castor in the constellation Gemini.

Friction with the upper atmosphere heats up the incoming debris, causing the air around them to glow brightly.

This leads to streaks of light that are also known as shooting stars.

The Geminids are unusual as they can be multi-coloured – mainly white, some yellow and a few green, red and blue.

These colours are partly caused by the presence of traces of metals like sodium and calcium, the same effect that is used to make fireworks colourful.

The Geminids also have a slower closing speed than many other comets as they enter Earth’s atmosphere at an angle, travelling at about 79,200 miles per hour.

In comparison, the Perseids approach Earth at 133,200mph and the Leonids at 162,000 miles per hour.

The showers will continue to be visible until December 20.